1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an apparatus for controlling a deceleration value of a vehicle, and more particularly to techniques for easy setting of a plurality of vehicle deceleration-value setting devices.
2. Discussion of Related Art
There is known a vehicle deceleration control apparatus including (a) a target-deceleration-value control portion operable to increase or reduce a target deceleration value of a vehicle according to an operation of a deceleration-value setting device, and (b) a brake control portion operable to control a braking force of the vehicle according to the target deceleration value set by the deceleration-value setting device. JP-2000-245016A discloses an example of this type of vehicle deceleration control apparatus, wherein a shift lever has an “E” position, and is operable from this “E” position to a “Decel” position for increasing the target deceleration value of the vehicle and a “Can-Decel” position for reducing the target deceleration value, so that a shifting action of an automatic transmission of the vehicle and/or a vehicle drive torque or regenerative torque of an electric motor of the vehicle is/are controlled so as to control the vehicle braking force according to the target deceleration value set by operating the shift lever.
The vehicle deceleration apparatus disclosed in the above-identified publication further includes a “Decel” switch and a “Can-Decel switch” which are provided on a steering wheel of the vehicle and which correspond to the “Decel” and “Can-Decel” positions of the shift lever. The target deceleration value of the vehicle can be controlled by operating the “Decel” and “Can-Decel” switches as well as by operating the shift lever from the “E” position to the “Decel” and “Can-Decel” positions. Although the provision of these “Decel” and “Can-Decel” switches improves ease of setting of the target deceleration value, the vehicle deceleration control apparatus has a risk of a problem in the setting of the target deceleration value when the shift lever and the “Decel” and “Can-Decel” switches are operated independently of each other. The publication is silent on the relationship between the target deceleration value set by operation of the shift lever and that set by the switches on the steering wheel.